The Secret Recipe for the Ultimate Travel Meal

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I want to hear about your most memorable travel meal. I’m convinced that there’s some magical combination of factors that transforms a dinner on the road into an indelible memory.

The cioppino at Sol e Luna on St. Martin.

What's the most memorable meal you've had in your recent travels, and why? Mine is probably a dinner I had with my husband on the Caribbean island of St. Martin—which is known for its yummy French cuisine—at a restaurant called Sol e Luna. All the ingredients came together (so to speak) to create a dinner that left us swooning—from the puff pastry that topped the lobster bisque like a beret and the homemade fruit-flavored rums to the lush vegetation enveloping the wrap-around terrace where we dined al fresco. It didn't hurt that the French family who own and operate the place (mom is the manager, dad is the chef, daughter is the hostess) are so charismatic—and ready to share their local insider tips. Nor did it hurt that it was my husband’s and my first “date night” away from the kids in about a year.

I’m convinced that there’s some magical combination of factors that transforms a dinner on the road into an indelible memory. Taste is key, obviously, but there’s so much more that goes into the ultimate travel meal than just ingredients and flavors you don’t find back home. There’s how the food is presented, of course—the more surprising the presentation, the more likely you’ll photograph it and thus remember it. If wine is involved, there's how well each course is paired with each wine. There's the restaurant's setting, the view, who you're dining with, sometimes even the locals you meet during the meal…

So what's your most memorable culinary experience while traveling—the one that jumps to mind first—and why?

Thanks in advance for helping me suss out that special combination of ingredients, and I'll be sure to share my findings with you in an upcoming post.